Changing Perspectives on International Higher Education

Forty years ago, Title VI of the National Defense Education Act was an important instrument used by the American government to provide aid for foreign languages and area studies development. In April 1998, Indiana University organized a conference in Washington, D.C., to celebrate this 40th anniversary titled “International Education in American Colleges and Universities: Prospect and Retrospect.” Two publications (Indiana University Press) were the result of the conference. The first, Globalization and the Challenge of a New Century: A Reader, edited by Patrick O’Meara, Howard D. Mehlinger, and Matthew Krain, was published in 2000 and is intended for university classroom use. A second publication, Changing Perspectives on International Education, was published in 2001 and edited by O’Meara and Mehlinger together with Roxana Ma Newman. The editors intended to provide university administrators, policy makers, and educational planners with a historical perspective on the accomplishments of Title VI programs and new insights into the directions currently affecting international studies.